Harvester-reel mechanism



(No Model.)

A. STARK. HARVESTER REEL MECHANISM.

- Patented Apr. 18, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW STARK, OF OHIOAGO, ILLINOIS.

HARVESTER-REEL MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,846, dated April18, 1893.

Application filed October 27,1892. Serial No. 450,111. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be .it known that 1, ANDREW STARK, acitizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvester-ReelMechanism, which are fully set forth in the following specification,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a partthereof.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved reelmechanism, the reel arms and bats being removed from the spider, theportion of the harvester which supports the frame being shown in frontelevation together with the binding mechanism which is operated from thesame shaft which gives power to the reel. Fig. 2 is a stubble sideelevation of the reel mechanism. Fig. 3 is a perspective of one of thetwo similar universal joint connections of the reel driving shaft. Fig.4 is a detail section at the line 4-4 on Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a similarsection at the line 5-5 on Fig. 1.

A is the front sill of the harvester.

B is the forward side of the elevator.

G is a bar of the harvester frame which supports the seat plank O, andextends horizontally parallel with the front sill in front of theelevator. These are familiar features of harvester construction, and areidentified merely to locate the other mechanism which pertains to thisinvention.

The reel mechanism which constitutes this invention is applied to andincludes a reel which has two adjustments, one fore and aft and theother up and down, and for the purpose of such adjustments has for itssupport two parts pivoted together at one end of each, the other end ofone of the parts being pivoted on the main frame and the other end ofthe other having the bearing for the reel shaft. The part which ispivoted on the main frame in the reel herein shown is the reel post D,and the part pivoted to the reel post and having the reel shaft at itsfree end, is the reel bearing frame E. The fore-and-aft adjustment iseffected by rocking the reel post over its foot pivot at don the mainframe. As illustrated, the forward side of the elevator affords supportfor the bracket D having the pivot d.

The vertical adjustment is effected by rocking the reel bearing frame Eup and down about its pivotal connection at c to the upper end of thereel post. One feature of the invention relates to the means foradjusting the reel about these pivotal supports and looking it. Boththese adjustments are accomplished by a lever arm or handle F, which isso connected to the reel post that it may swing about either of twocenters, one center being the foot pivot 01 of the reel post in thebracket D, and the other being a pivotal connection of the lever arm Fto the reel post. Such pivotal connection of the lever arm F to the reelpost is obtained upon the bracket G which is bolted fast to the reelpost and comprises an interiorly notched segment G in the arc of acircle about the pivot g, at which said lever F is secured. The lever Fis provided with a locking dog f, which is adapted to engage the notchedsegment G, and with devices of familiar character to guide said dog onthe lever, and a link F from the dog to a thumb lever f pivoted on thelever F near the handle end. While the dog f is engaged with the notchedsegment G at any position, the lever F is fixed in its position withrespect to the reel post D, and operates as a rigid lever arm of thatpost by which the latter may be rocked fore-and-aft to carry the reelfore-andaft.

II is an exteriorly notched segment mounted rigidly on the main frame,and conveniently, as illustrated, on the seat plank O, which is rigidwith the main frame. A spring-actuated dog h is mounted on the bracketG, and adapted to engage the notches of the segment H, and for thepurpose of actuating the dog to disengage it from the segment, a lever fis pivoted on the lever arm F, and connected to the dog h (suchconnection being made by a link f in the construction illustrated), anda thumb lever f at the handle end of the lever F is connected by alink Fto the lever f and constitutes familiar means by which the driver canoperate the dog. A link F extends from the lever F to the reel bearingframe E, so that the rocking of said lever about the pivot g raises andlowers the reel frame E,

rocking the latter about its pivotal connection at the top of the reelpost. One advantage of this construction is that the action of theoperator, and the movement which he gives the lever, are the samewhether he is adjusting the lever up and down, or, fore and aft, theonly difference being that in the one case he presses the thumb lever fand in the other case he presses the thumb lever f In the one instance,the movement which he gives the lever causes it to swing about the pivotd; in the other, the same movement of the hand causes the lever to swingabout the pivot g. In the first instance, the lever swings with andcarries the reel post over its pivot d. In the second instance, itswings on the post without moving the latter and rocks the reel frame E.

In order that the swinging of the lever F about the pivot g may not havea tendency to disengage the dog 72. from the rack H, the connection ofthe lever f which is mounted upon and therefore must swing within thelever F, is made to coincide substantially with the said pivot g of thelatter lever. Exact coincidence is not essential merely because therewill always be playin the several joints which would permit a littlevariation from the theoretically correct position; but approximatecoincidence of said pivotal lines is necessary, and in the drawings theyare shown very nearly coincident, the theoretically correct positionbeing shown in detail Fig. 2.

The connections from the thumb lever f to the dog It may be varied fromthat shown in the drawings without necessarily departing from theessential feature of the invention at this point, but whatever change inthese devices is made should be such as not to cause the rocking of thelever F over the pivot g to disturb the engagement of the dog It withthe segment H.

The reel is driven by means of a beveled pinion J, meshing with thebeveled gear J, the latter being pinned fast to the reel shaft j, whichextends through the cross arm E at the free end of the reel bearingframe E, having a reel spider E secured to its grainward end, as thebeveled gear J is secured to its stubbleward end, with the arm E betweenthem. Through the trunk of the reel frame E back of the arm E is formedan aperture in which the stud E is rigidly fixed, the said trunk havingbosses e e extending from both sides to increase the bearing of the studin the trunk, and the beveled pinion J is provided with a long hubj", bywhich the pinion is journaled on the stud Eflacotter pin j, insertedthrough the end of the stud outside the pinion,securing the latterinplace. The pinion J is driven by a tumbling shaft K, which is connectedbya universal joint at K to the pinion J, which, for that purpose, hasformed upon its grainward face lugs 7' 3' between which there is pivotedthe close link J whose pivotal aperturesj and extend in planes at rightangles to each other, the former being that at which it is pivoted tothe lugs of the beveled pinion, and the latter that at which it ispivoted to the tumbling shaft. The latter connection is made byproviding the tumbling shaft with a sideward stud or pin 71:, which maybe inserted through the aperture j and retained by a cotter pin. Thetumbling shaft K derives motion from a train of mechanism which it isnecessary to trace only from the shaft L, which is the shaft of thedriving roller of the elevator as may be understood from its positionwith respect to the elevator side-board B. At the forward end of thisshaft L, in front of the elevator, there is made fast to itthe beveledpinion L.

011 the forward side of the elevator frame B, the bracket M is mounted,in which is journaled a shaft which has at the lower end the beveledgear M, which meshes with and is driven by the beveled gear L, and atthe upper end the beveled pinion M which meshes with and drives beveledgear M which obtains bearing upon a stud projecting from the bracket M,at right angles to the bearing of the shaft of the gears M and M Theshaft M has a long hub M to give it accuracy of action on the stud, andis retained thereon by the cotter pin through the" end of "the stud. Atthe outer end of the llll b M of thewheel M it has the lugs on, betweenwhich there is pivotally connected a s ort link m and to this short linkthe tumbli g shaft K is connected in the same manner as it is connectedto the link J This tumbling shaft K is an extensible shaft of thegeneral character commonly called telescoping, but instead of having onemember operating within the other, as in the more common form oftelescoping shafts, the two members 7c operate 'side by side, both beingsquare and having their flat surfaces bearing against each other andretained in connection by clasps or lugs K K which are secured to theends of the two members 70 70 respectively, and encircle the othermember. The peculiarity of this shaft, obtained by the manner of itsconnection to the short links which constitute the universal joint atits ends, is that the axis of its rotation lies in the plane of thecontacting faces of its two members 70, and not in a line connecting thecenters of the two ends, which would be oblique to that plane, and thatthereby the sliding friction between the two members in the adjustmentswhich may be made while the shaft is in rotation, is rendered the leastpossible, because the strain of the action of the shaft does not tend todraw those faces together. It will be understood that the universaljoints by which this shaft is connected to its driving and driven gears,respectively, and its extensible character, adapt it to communicatemotion to the reel mechanism at whatever position the reel may be set ineither of its adjustments.

The same train of gearing which communicates power from the elevatordriving shaft to the reel communicates motion also to the butter N. Thedetail arrangement of this butter is not herein shown, but its generalcharacter is familiar. The pinion M has a crank arm M to whose wrist mthe arm N is pivotally connected. The full relation and construction ofthis butter are shown in my application, Serial No. 450,110, filedOctober, 27, 1892, and it is not intended to be claimed or more fullydescribed in this application.

I claim- 1. In a harvester reel, in combination, substantially as setforth, the reel post pivoted at its foot to the harvester frame, and thereel bearing frame pivoted at the head of the reel post; a lever armconnected to the reel post, and alocking segment rigid with the mainframe and concentric with the foot pivot of the reel post, and suitablemeans for locking the reel post to the segment, the connection of saidlever with the reel post being pivotal; a link from said lever to saidreel bearing frame; a locking segment rigid with the reel postconcentric with the said pivotal connection of the lever, and means forlocking the lever to said locking segment, whereby the lever may beswung either, about the foot pivot of the reel post to the frame, or,the pivot of the lever to the post, to effect adj ustment of the reeleither, fore-and-aft, or, up and down.

2. In combination with a reel having fore and aft and verticaladjustments, the reel driving wheel mounted on the reel bearing frameand partaking of said adjustments; and a power-communicating wheel onthe main frame which does not partake of said adjustments; theextensible shaft comprising the members It It, provided with universaljoints at the ends of said members respectively to the reel drivingwheel and power-communicating wheel, and provided with the loops K Kwhich retain said members together, the axis of said shaft being in theplane of the contacting surfaces of said members thereof: substantiallyas set forth.

3. In combination with the wheels M and J, the universal-joint links J 3and m the shaft comprising the members 70 k, retained and sliding sideby side, and having flat surfaces in contact, the connection of saidmembers to said short links respectively being made by sideward juttingstuds from said shaft respectively taking into the links; whereby. theplane of the contacting surfaces of the two members k 70 is made tocontain the axis of rotation of the shaft: substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twowitnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 5th day of October, 1892.

ANDREI/V STARK.

Witnesses:

CHAS. S. BURTON, J EAN ELLIOTT.

